Prep football • Brighton won its first five games before dropping five of its last eight.

By Richard Winter Special To The Tribune

Published November 7, 2012 4:20 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Brighton offensive lineman Tyson Aldredge will not struggle to find motivation to work to improve during the offseason.

He'll just remember Oct. 12, the night Brighton led top-ranked Jordan 14-0, then gave up 42 unanswered.

"We were unaccounted for on both sides of the ball that night, and that is unacceptable," Aldredge said.

The Bengals opened the season 5-0 before a loss to their biggest rival, Alta, started a skid where the team lost five of eight.

"We gave up a 99-yard kick return … went three and out, and they ran a punt back," Brighton coach Ryan Bullet said about the Alta game.

Senior tight end Tyson Reid said the Alta loss sucked away some of the team's confidence.

"Early in the year, we had the mindset of we're going to keep running it until they can't stop us," Reid said. "We were up on Alta in the first half, made a few mistakes and we lost our swagger for a minute."

While the Bengals' up-and-down campaign ended with a 24-17 loss to Lone Peak in the first round of the 5A playoffs, a wealth of talent returns.

Bullet said freshman quarterback Drew Jensen is talented enough that he could have started at either receiver or defensive back this year.

"We took some lumps this year, but Drew showed incredible maturity to get a win at Davis in his first varsity start," Bullet said.

Sophomore running back Osa Masina, who is 6 foot 4 and 205 pounds, ran for 706 yards and nine scores. He already received offers from BYU and Utah.

"He has a chance to be really special, and if his work ethic is anything like older brother Uaea, he'll get there," Bullet said.

As Aldredge mulls over those 42 unanswered points, he and three other starters returning to the offensive line likely will decide whether the Bengals advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"It all depends on the offseason," Aldredge said. "We have a lot of talent coming back, but it won't mean anything unless we put the work in." 

About Brighton

The number 42 will certainly have an impact on the Brighton football team's offseason conditioning plans. Coach Ryan Bullet plans to stamp the number on the hand of each football player who checks into the weight room during the summer to help remember the night Brighton gave up 42 unanswered points in a 42-14 loss to Jordan.

Special teams haven't been so special at Brighton in the past few years. The Bengals gave up a 99-yard kick return to start the second half, and after a three-and-out by the offense, the Bengals gave up a punt return for a score against Alta.

Brighton returns four starters on the offensive line next season, including University of Utah recruit Jackson Barton.